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One thing to consider, when you don't buy your phone directly from your service provider, you may not have access to some of that provider's features. For example: WiFi calling. This is where your phone can switch from cellular to WiFi in areas where cellular coverage is poor. I found that my unlocked Moto G7 will not do WiFi calling with AT&T service, even though the phone is 100% compatible electrically. AT&T only lets phones they sell directly, and a few unlocked others, use WiFi calling. Reportedly, Verizon does not allow any BYOD ("Bring Your Own Device") phones to use WiFi calling. Additionally, the small carriers that use the AT&T or Verizon networks under the hood are banned from WiFi calling as well. So if you really need WiFi calling, it may be best to buy your phone at the inflated price directly from your carrier. I imagine that eventually the government will step in and tell the carriers that they cannot deny certain features to BYOD phones. Just like they were told that they had to accept BYOD phones in the first place. Just like they were told that they had to unlock phones at customers request. Just like they were told that they had to release phone numbers for customers to take with them to other carriers. The government has a tendency to step in and mandate these type of things. I'll bet mandatory WiFi calling will be one of those mandates soon. WiFi calling is not always that great - there can be significant delays in transmission - as if you were talking by radio to someone on the moon. However, transmission delays beat having no service at all.
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